Okay, so I'm not really one for doing sequels, but I feel like 'Just you and me, and her' left a lot of potential for things to happen, and I've had this idea ever since I posted the first fic. After some encouraging from people, I've started to write it. This will be a few chapters long, and hopefully do my original fic justice :)
Thanks for beta'ing, Kristie! Love you!
Enjoy!
The car slows in front of her house, Ellie reaching down for her school bag. "I'll call you later," she says to Rose, "but not sure when. Mom always wants to interrogate me after the first day back to school." She rolls her eyes, but maintains her smile, and slings her bag over her shoulder.
"That's cool," she nods, "I'll just be crying over Mr Harrison's math homework all afternoon, anyway." They share a grin, before Ellie slips out of the car and down the driveway to her house. The large townhouse is unusually quiet as she opens the front door, looking for any signs of her family. Singing from the kitchen beckons her forward, where she finds her mom swirling on her feet as she sings to the two year old in her bright pink high chair.
As soon as she spies Ellie, she freezes, a sheepish look growing on her face. "Hey hon," she smiles, brown eyes sparkling excitedly, "how was school?"
"Hmm, it was okay," she shrugs, "just teachers going through what we're going to learn for the rest of the year. It was pretty boring actually." Her short response leaves Rachel clearly waiting for more, but she just drops her bag on the table, walking over to Sarah who is calling her name. "How is my favorite sister today?"
"Ellie, me up!" she reaches out her arms, whining when she isn't immediately held by someone.
She feels Rachel lingering beside her, and slowly turns to the woman. "So," she smiles, "did you make any new friends?"
"Not really – I spoke to a few new people in my classes." She gives a small smile, trying to reassure Rachel that it's okay if she doesn't have a huge amount of friends; all the matters is the friends she does have. Rachel hadn't exactly been the most popular person in High School – she's heard all the stories of slushies and eggings – and she only wants Ellie to have a better experience than her. "I did sign up for creative writing though," she tries.
Rachel's smile returns, face brightening, "oh you did? That's good." Turning slightly, she cleans Sarah off with her bib and then lifts the girl from her high chair. The two year old happily leans against her mother's shoulder with a look of content. They're so alike, her and Rachel. She grows to look more like her mom every day, so it's really no surprise that she's just as demanding and dramatic. Ellie, on the other hand, is all her dad, from the dopey smile to the laid back personality.
She's about to jump onto the counter, when Rachel apprehends her, sending a glare. Instead, she just leans against it, "yeah, I was also thinking about joining the school newspaper..." She says this uncertainly, worrying her lower lip. While she loves writing, and is sure she'd love helping out, it isn't exactly cool to be part of it, not at her school.
Still, Rachel nods in support. "That's a really great idea, sweetie. I'm sure there are lots of stories that you can report on. Don't you keep saying that the cafeteria food needs a vast improvement? And that the school spent more money on the cheerleaders than they did fixing the hall roof?" She tusks at that, "I don't know why you insist on going there."
"Because all my friends go there," she rolls her eyes, used to this argument by now. "And no offence, but I don't really wanna go to prep school."
"But Léman Manhattan is a very good school. Your father works there."
"Mom," she pulls a face, "it's just not me."
Rachel places down Sarah amongst some of her toys, moving to slide her arms around Ellie in a loose embrace. "Honey, is this because you think you're not smart enough?"
She lowers her gaze, but Rachel only holds on tighter to her. "I'm not like Daniel and Caleb – they're both at the top of their class without even trying. And I have to study for hours just to get aB." A sigh escapes her thin lips, her shoulders slumping downwards.
"That's not true. You always get an A in English, and it's more often than not an A+." Rachel replies with a small smile, gently combing her fingers through Ellie's mousy brown hair. When she doesn't glance up at her, she hooks her finger under the girl's chin, lifting her head. "And besides, they encourage other types of academia, too. Music for instance," she says brightly, "you can play the piano."
"Hmm," she shrugs, "I'm okay at it."
"Okay?" She raises an eyebrow. "You're wonderful at it. Almost as good as me." Rachel observes her slowly, giving up when Ellie's expression doesn't alter. She changes tactics then. "Since you probably don't have any homework, wanna help me make dinner?"
A smile returns to her face and she nods eagerly. "Sure mom. What're we having?"
"Chicken risotto for your guys, and mushroom risotto for me," she smiles, moving over to the refrigerator to take out the ingredients and hand them to her.
"Sounds good," she nods, "whenever you stay late at the studio, dad always ends up burning dinner. And then we just have sandwiches or something."
Rachel shakes her head, though her small smile gives her away too easily. Ellie's been witness to a few "cooking" lessons for her dad, but he spends way too much time focused on Rachel than the actual food, so it's no wonder why he's not exactly a very good cook. With a smile of her own, she starts helping with dinner, not surprised when she's asked more about how her day at school went. She may roll her eyes, but inside it's nice to have Rachel care so much; she must really love her if she wants to know the boring details of her math class.
She turns slightly when she hears the front door open, and then moments after her dad calls out, "Babe, I'm home." Like usual, he must follow the scent of the food to find them in the kitchen, as moments later she hears Sarah repeating "daddy" while jumping on her little feet.
"Hey princess," he grins, lifting her easily then stepping over the baby gate. Daniel and Caleb follow at his feet, the respective eight year and seven year old munching on some chips.
Upon seeing them, Rachel practically snatches them from their hands, starting on some rant about them ruining their appetites. Finn simply places his hands on her hips and pulls her in for a searing kiss. Ellie turns away slightly, while her brothers make gagging noises and Sarah tries to join in. When they pull apart, Rachel delightfully dazed and Finn grinning as though he just won the lottery, he lightly taps Daniel's head. "Knock it off, we kiss all the time."
"How was work?" Rachel changes the subject, straightening out his tie subconsciously.
"It was pretty good, especially considering I've got this little rascal in my class now." He grins, pointing to his youngest son who huffs and crosses his arms indignantly at being called such. "I missed you though." Rachel chuckles, repeating the sentiment before placing a kiss to his nose.
Turning her attention to the two boys, Finn moves over to Ellie, still carrying Sarah. "And how was your day?" he asks softly. She takes her eyes off the pan to her dad, gaze moving over his aged face and the speckles of gray in his hair. He places a hand on her shoulder, bringing her close for a one armed hug.
She leans into his embrace, "it was good daddy. A little boring, but it's only the first day. All my teachers seem nice."
"Glad to hear," he smiles, "you gonna try out for the volleyball team again? You were really good last year."
Ellie beams with pride. "Probably, I did kick ass last year, didn't I?" She says this quietly so Rachel doesn't hear, but Sarah starts giggling at this, hands clasped over her mouth in an attempt to contain said giggles. Finn grins, reaching out to fist bump Ellie before putting Sarah back with her toys. She whines and protests, but settles down when he hands over her favorite stuffed animal, Daisy. He moves over to Rachel again, hugging her from behind before his lips find her neck. She giggles when his hands lower from her hips to her ass, the man grinning devilishly.
"You guys have a bedroom for that," Ellie deadpans, keeping her attention on the food.
While he pouts, Rachel spins in his arms and stands on her toes to kiss him sweetly. He tries to deepen it, but she tugs herself away, instead leaning flush against him. "Finn, I've got dinner to make..." she tries.
"And four children who don't want to get their eyes bleached," Ellie adds, earning a swat from Rachel that she manages to avoid.
Moving out of Finn's grasp, she joins Ellie at the stove once more. "Boys, do you have any homework to do?"
"Rach, no one gives homework on their first day – that's just mean." Finn answers for them, crouching down so that he's Sarah's level. She starts filling his arms with carefully selected toys, her face thoughtful.
"I was just making sure," Rachel defends, then turns her attention back to her sons, "Now you guys go and get changed out of your uniforms so that they don't get ruined."
"Then can we play?" Caleb asks hopefully.
"Until dinner," she says absently-mindedly, stirring the risotto. Finn ushers them up to their rooms, carrying Sarah with him.
"Just us then," Rachel smiles toward her, helping to finish off dinner. It doesn't take long for the whole family to be sat down for the usual family dinner, with Daniel and Caleb almost starting a food fight. Ellie scoffs at that – even when she was that young she was never that much of an idiot. It must just be because they're boys, she thinks, turning her attention to Rachel who is telling Finn about her few hours at the studio. She's currently working on her first album, and it's kept her ridiculously busy for the past few weeks. On top of that, she teaches private vocal lessons during her days off. Today, however, she took most of the day off so that they could spend the night together as a family since it's the first day of school, and Rachel wants to know all about their days.
The evening draws on as usual, Ellie avoiding her parents and irritating brothers for a few hours as she calls Rose back. She's lay on her bed when she hears noise coming from her brother's room. As usual, her response is to roll her eyes and turn up the TV, hoping to wash out the sound of their immature fighting.
When she hears a knock on the door, she rolls onto her side, propping her chin up with her hand. "Come in," she calls, the door opening slowly. She hears the heavy footsteps that could only belong to one person.
"Hey daddy," she greets him with a bright smile.
He returns it, stepping into the room slightly, "your mom and I are gonna watch that new Hunger games movie and were wondering if you want to join us." He then quickly adds, "if you don't mind spending a few hours with us oldies."
Ellie giggles, moving so that she's sat up. "Will there be popcorn?" she asks hopefully.
He chuckles, "do you even need to ask that?" Ellie's on her feet instantly, following him out of her soft yellow bedroom and down the hall. The bathroom door is slightly ajar, to which she can hear Rachel coaxing the boys into the bath with a promise of lots of bubbles and toys. It's only when Ellie and Finn have been settled on the couch with butter popcorn for five minutes that she finally joins them, looking a little flustered but still smiling. She slides in on Finn's other side, curling into him.
"I see you waited for me," she says sarcastically.
"Mom," Ellie shakes her head, "it's only the trailers. The movie hasn't even started."
She sighs still, pouting. "You'll have to pause it when I get Daniel and Caleb out of the bath in fifteen minutes."
With a groan, she says, "can't you just leave them in there?"
"If I leave them any longer than that, they'll get water all over the bathroom floor, again." Rachel shakes her head at the way the other two laugh upon remembering that particular incidence, moving to press play on the remote. They soon fall silent at that point, Finn wrapping his arms around both of them. But they're barely ten minutes into the movie when Rachel checks up on Sarah and then the boys. Ellie groans when she takes her own sweet time, stuffing a handful of popcorn into her mouth.
"Hurry up mom," she grumbles, earning a chuckle from Finn.
"You are so impatient."
"I just wanna watch the movie," she bows her head, and swoon over Josh Hutcherson. But her daddy doesn't need to know that bit.
Finally, Rachel returns, ushering Daniel and Caleb forward. "Now give goodnight kisses," she orders to the boys in matching Spiderman pajamas, and they both instantly jump onto Finn. He groans at the sudden weight on him, but hugs them back, littering their faces with kisses. They squeal giddily, before jumping off and moving over to Ellie.
She hurriedly kisses both their cheeks. "Right, now shoo," she tells them. Daniel frowns, crossing his arms, while Caleb instead finds it interesting to pick his nose. Rachel gasps quietly, chastising him immediately.
"But momma -"
"No buts," she gives him her look, one that all three children wince at. That look is not a good one. But just as soon as it arrived, it disappears as a soft expression melts onto her features. She places a hand on his shoulder, gently ushering him away. "Come on, it's time for bed." With Daniel following, she turns to Finn and Ellie, "I'll be five minutes, I promise." She's barely out of the room before the doorbell rings, surprising all the occupants of the house.
"I'll get it mommy!" Daniel announces.
"Daniel, no. You let mommy or daddy open the door," she hears Rachel insist, though Ellie sends a confused glance to Finn. He himself has a thoughtful expression, clearly straining to hear who it is. But for once Rachel's voice isn't loud and clear, and all she can hear is a murmur of sound. The stifled voices change in tone, from wariness to surprise. There is an unmistakably panicky Rachel voice, she shouts, "Finn!" The man springs to his feet in a matter of seconds, hurrying to aid his wife.
Ellie stands too, rushing to the doorway where she lingers, curiosity blinding all her other thoughts.
Daniel and Caleb are huddled together a few steps up the staircase, looking just as confused as her. Ellie tries to peek at the cause of the sudden disruption, but the door is in her way, as well as her dad. She catches a glance of Rachel, the woman gripping onto her dad's arm so tightly she could be bruising it. Ellie stiffens, suddenly feeling worried – Rachel's never looked so... so scaredbefore, and she doesn't like it at all. For a moment, their eyes meet, and if possible the woman's eyes widen further with deeply engrained fear. She whispers a few hushed words to Finn, who nods and gently shushes her.
With one glance back at Ellie, he moves into Rachel's place. Suddenly his face goes as white as a sheet, but he's not scared like Rachel. The muscles in his arms are tight, fists clenched, and she can see how tenseness washes over him. He's not scared, he's angry.
"Kate, what are you doing here?" The words are uttered so lowly, threateningly, that Ellie would never have associated that tone with her father. She gulps and tries to step closer. Rachel intercepts her, attempting to move her away from the door, but she uses her height and strength to her advantage, keeping her ground.
"Ellie," Rachel sighs; Ellie doesn't miss the way her eyes are almost pleading with her. The girl's frown deepens – this is about her, she knows it is. And she's not just going to be pushed to the side and kept out of it. She's sixteen years old; she can handle herself.
"Mom, what's going on?"
"Just let your father sort it ou – Ellie!" She grasps for Ellie's clothes, but she swiftly moves away from her and hurries over to Finn. The first thing she hears is "You can't just show up after all this time, that's not fair." Whoever this Kate is never gets a chance to reply as Ellie sets a 'what the hell is happening?' look to her dad, only to see his horrified face.
He tries to move her away from the door. "Ellie, princess, please go upstairs."
She shakes her head stubbornly, determined to know who caused his sudden change in demeanour and why. Turning to the doorway, she suddenly gasps, feeling the blood drain from her face in much the way it had her father's. His hand feels heavy on her shoulder, trying to pull her away, but she can't tear her eyes from the woman in front of her. She stares into the same green eyes that she has, the ones that she's always wondered where they came from. Her pulse beats in her ears like a drum, throbbing with a burst of emotions. All the pieces fit together immediately – her parent's reaction, their insistence that she's kept away, and now the way her dad looks painfully between the pair.
Suddenly she's breathless, as though she just ran a marathon, and dizziness follows.
She now knows the what, but why, how? Shaking her head, she blinks back tears that she doesn't even realize are there until her vision becomes blurred with them. The woman gives this small smile, clutching onto her handbag that little bit tighter. Ellie stiffens at the sight of it, unable to grasp if this is reality or fantasy. She sees her lips move, confused as to why no sound follows, but then the next thing she knows her vision is clouding over and her head really hurts.
The first thing she can see is Rachel's face, brimming with worry. As soon as her eyes focus, her voice groggily calls out, "W-what happened?"
"Ellie," she breathes with the uttermost relief, barely giving her a chance to sit up as she's swept into a hug. "Are you okay? You took quite a bump to your head."
She winces slightly as she rubs the back of her sore head, then glances around the familiar walls of her bedroom. Just as bliss as the first few seconds of consciousness are, the events coming flooding back to her with far too much speed for Ellie's liking, and she feels the tears spring back to her eyes.
"Ellie?" her mom asks again, cradling her like she used to do when they'd sit up during thunderstorms.
"That woman is my mother, isn't she?"
Rachel tenses, biting her lower lip. Her chocolate brown eyes meet Ellie's before she nods. "She is, baby."
Breathing out, Ellie shakily tries to make sense of the whole situation. "But... why?" She winces at the pained expression on Rachel's face, "I don't understand. It's been sixteen years... where has she been..." The anger that she'd seen in her father's face suddenly sparks, "and what makes her think she has the right to see me? She doesn't even know me." The tears escape onto Rachel's shoulder; she rocks Ellie back and forth with a hand soothing her back. "Why does she want to come back now?"
Her mom doesn't answer any of those questions. She just looks sad. For a few moments, the two embrace, Ellie crying and muttering out her thoughts to Rachel, before they fall into silence.
It's only when her sobs turn to cries, and equally her cries to sniffles, that Rachel speaks. "She's downstairs." She doesn't surface from Rachel's shoulder, "your dad is talking to her about... what she's doing here. He's so worried about you, Ellie – I can't believe you fainted..." She gently brushes her hand over the small bump on her head, then kisses it.
"She's in our house?" Ellie shakes. She doesn't know how to feel anymore; sure, she's thought that this could happen one day, but that'd been when she was much younger, wishing for a mom. The longer she's had Rachel, the less often those thoughts have showed up, until they became nothing but old dreams.
"It's going to be fine," Rachel insists, her tone wavering. "It'll be fine." This is repeated over and over, until Ellie hates the word 'fine', instantly associating it with the confusion and worry that's consuming her.
She doesn't know how long they sit there; it's dark outside by now, a crescent moon hung in the sky, but it seems like an eternity until she hears her dad's footsteps. He taps lightly on the door, then pokes his head inside. "Hey," he starts with uncertainty, eyes searching Ellie's face.
"She knows, Finn," is all Rachel says before he moves to the other side of Ellie, arms joining Rachel's around her.
"I'm so sorry that you had to meet her like that, sweetheart."
Ellie doesn't know what to say, any words blocked by the lump in her throat. He fills in the silence, though, with careful and gentle words. "She wants to see you."
"What? Why?"
He immediately hushes her, "I don't know why this is happening all of sudden; I just know that she wants to see you." She's quiet again, so he continues, "she wanted to take you to dinner, but I told her that you have to consent to it first, and if you do... I want to be there as well." He sighs, "I don't want you getting hurt."
The words resonate through her body, but no matter how many times she hears them, they're still difficult to comprehend. "You don't have to," Rachel interjects, "it's your decision, Ellie. If you don't want to see her, then that's totally okay..."
She looks between her parents, from their worried expressions to the bed sheets. Does she want to see her mother? The woman who hasn't cared enough to contact her for so long? Who's left her wishing for so much, even just a stupid birthday card. She doesn't know how many times she spent thinking about her birth mother as a child, what features they shared, what traits she's inherited from her. Now it just makes her upset to think that she shares half her DNA with a woman who could abandon her own child. But then, as angry as she is...there's still something in her heart pulling her toward this meeting. Her dad will be there, he'll protect her, and then maybe at the same time she can get the answers to questions that have lain dormant for years now.
Glancing up at her dad, she suddenly feels her heart sinking guiltily at her new desire. He wouldn't be upset, would he? After all, he just wants her to be happy. And then her gaze makes its way to Rachel, whose eyes still convey sadness that doesn't look like it's about to let up any time soon.
Ellie struggles to give an answer, constantly waning and waxing toward a decision.
She doesn't realize when she gives the tiniest of nods. Finn does though, and he hugs her even tighter, kissing her head, "you want to go?"
"I want to meet her... to ask her... why," she says simply, to which he nods in understanding. For a brief moment, she wonders what had been said downstairs between them; she'd heard shouting, she's sure. And no doubt he's still upset – she almost feels bad for him having to go with them, but she knows she'll feel more at ease with her dad there, and then maybe the truth will come out.
She tiredly moves out of their grasp, insisting that she just wants to go to bed. The look of concern shared between her parents doesn't go missed by Ellie, but she just reaches into her drawers for some pajamas and places them on the bed. Finn hugs her first, large body squeezing hers. "We'll talk more in the morning," he says gently, before kissing her forehead. "Try and get some sleep, princess." She manages a smile, though that's about it.
Rachel is next; their hugs are usually a little comical as she's a good few inches taller than her, but today there are no light chuckles and smiles. The air is thick around them, Rachel's grip strong around her. She relishes in the feel of the embrace, letting it relax her. "If you need anything, let us know," she says simply, to which Ellie nods. They leave her to change then, Ellie soon realizing that her solitude is not as good as it once was; she constantly gets lost in her mind, producing situation after situation of how the dinner could go.
Hours of tossing and turning persist, with anxiety keeping her awake. At two am, she kicks the twisted blanket off her body and pads down the hallway to her parent's room. The door creaks open, but it doesn't seem to stir the two lumps in the bed. As she gets closer, she notices how far apart they're sleeping, which means they''ve probably had an argument. Her heart drops at that, knowing that if they did it was more than likely about her and this whole situation.
She hesitates for a moment, considering going back to her room, but then Rachel's eyes flutter open, slowly focusing on her. "Ellie," she speaks tiredly, voice croaky. "What are you doing up?" That same worry returns, the one that Ellie hates already.
"I couldn't sleep..." she wrings her hands together, "could I...?" She hesitates at that, it being so long since she's slept in her parent's bed. She's not a scared little girl anymore; she's sixteen years old.
Rachel understands quickly and scoots backwards on the bed. She lifts up the covers, inviting Ellie in silently. The girl hurries to climb into the warm bed, instantly feeling better when Rachel's arms wrap around her. "Are you okay?" she whispers in her ear.
She nods, "I will be." That seems to satiate Rachel for now, or maybe she's just tired and wants to get back to sleep. Either way, Ellie finally relaxes as the room is silent once more, her eyes drooping ever so slowly. Something about having her parents close by is more comforting to her, allowing her to finally get some sleep, even with her dad mumbling and Rachel lightly snoring. She snuggles further into the woman, glad for her embrace. Maybe she is a scared little girl, after all.
This fic will all be from Ellie's POV, just like the original. It didn't feel right to do it any other way.
Please review :)
